fuel gauge not working my mini

[handy andy]

hi all my fuel gauge wont work
i have even renewed the tank unit and checked the feed to the fuel gauge thats ok
i have removed the gauge and connected it directly across the battery
the gauge then moves
i have also checked the lead between gauge and sender unit for continuity ok
to be honest i to dont know where to go next
perhaps earth from the sender unit??????
HELP
andy

[captain]

Hi if you earth the wire to the sender unit the gauge should go right to the top if it does that rules out wiring and gauge and points to faulty sender or tank earth fault

[dklawson]

Please provide a bit more information such as the year of your car and some information about the gauge and sending unit.
Does your sender bolt to the tank or use the bayonet ring?
Is your fuel gauge the type with the thin, tapered, bouncy needle or the later wide needle that rises slowly when power is applied?
When you say the gauge isn't working, do you mean the needle is always sitting below "empty"... or something else?

As Captain said, on the cars built after 1964 you can remove the green/black wire from the sender and with the ignition turned on, earth the terminal on the green black wire (using a jumper wire directly to the battery earth is prefered at this point). If the gauge slowly climbs to full, the gauge and voltage stabilizer are working as they should. Now disconnect the green/black wire from earth an touch its terminal to the black wire terminal connection on the sending unit. If the gauge does NOT go to full again, there is a problem with the sending unit's black earth wire. If the gauge does go again to full, the black (earth) wire on the sending unit is OK and the problem must be with the sending unit. It could be electrically inoperable or the sender's float could be damaged and has "sunk". (Of course that shouldn't be the case since you say it is new!)

[handy andy]

many thanks for your help
i shall try everything you both said and see
andy
i